Ethics in school leadership

In the case of school leaders, ethics is closely connected to the purpose of the school – which in Denmark is democratic formation (Bildung) as well as basic education. Have codes of ethics been developed which reflect these purposes? Are the codes followed, and does that make school leadership an ethical affair? How is ethics balanced next to demands of accountability and marketisation? Chapter five addresses these questions. While codes of ethics seem generally to be well developed, ethical awareness and praxis seem more limited. School leaders can possibly perceive themselves as ethical if they know and can reiterate the code of ethics, while in fact acting unethically in praxis. This chapter gives examples of this involving school leaders who do not reflect on and consider the wants of the teachers who are their responsibility. More specifically, we point to leaders who expose vulnerable and confidential information about teachers in leader networks. These examples show some of the ethical paradoxes and dilemmas which the attempt to professionalise school leadership must take into consideration.